you are beautiful.

This is a regular simultaneous post featured on Brand Flakes for Breakfast AND the SmartBiz SmartBlog. The posts are geared toward small business.

Sometimes branding isn't about your product or service. But about your customer. There's an installation in Philadelphia along the road, with larger than life letters spelling out the message "You are beautiful." What a cool way to make drivers feel wonderful everyday they drive by. This particular installation is an art project - but it's a great concept for marketers as well.

I used to have a friend who ran a parking garage. He added a simple whiteboard at the entrance to the garage, and scribbled a new and inspiring quote on the board, to greet worker-bees arriving each morning. Apparently the white board was a huge hit. Their customers talked about it all the time - and when he once stopped for a week, the garage was riddled with complaints. People appreciated the positive messaging.

So, the question is...what have you done to make your customers feel special about themselves? How could positive messaging be incorporated into your campaign, and make clients feel great in the process? Or even feel good about your advertising? And ultimately, your brand?